Bovey builds success on training

Industrial and Commercial Training

ISSN: 0019-7858

Article publication date: 3 October 2008

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Citation

(2008), "Bovey builds success on training", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 40 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2008.03740fab.005

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Bovey builds success on training

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 40, Issue 6

A company made the leap from small family business to high performer in the south-west of England construction industry through a training program that has helped its site managers to shoulder greater responsibility.

Bovey Construction, of Ashburton, Devon, was set up in 1988 to handle small building projects and jobbing work. Now it directly employs more than 20 people and manages contracts worth up to £500,000.

The company decided to take on the larger, more profitable businesses by developing its five site managers so that they had a range of transferable management skills typical of a factory or supermarket manager. This approach is unusual in small building companies, but is highly regarded by architects.

“Site managers would have to have the confidence and skills to run their site-based projects effectively, with minimum intervention,” said managing director Neil Turner. “This would free me to focus on company-wide management and generating new business. They also needed to develop the skills to manage four groups - their teams, sub-contractors, architects and clients.”

Managers were offered the opportunity of working towards a National Vocational Qualification Level 3 or 4 in site management, as part of a training package tailored to the needs of the business and its employees. The package won a UK National Training Award.

Managers assembled NVQ portfolios under Neil Turner’s supervision, and these were assessed by Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) validators, who identified gaps that needed to be plugged. CITB assessors conducted on-site assessments to confirm the skills were in place.

Site managers also completed time-management, constructive-management and leadership and performance courses and, according to Neil Turner, their performance far exceeded expectations.

“They are now handling their roles with even more confidence and skill than anticipated,” he said. “The reduction in my site visits from three-to-five a week to one is clear evidence that they see responsibility for managing projects and people as their right. The company has more than achieved its targets, reaching an overall level way above the sector average. Profitability is almost double the target, while staff turnover is below the national average.”

John Jones, of the CITB National Construction College, said: “Bovey is an example for smaller companies. To watch its employees develop as individuals, and the firm itself develop as a company, is very rewarding.”

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